Capcom reviving classic NES DuckTales with modern HD remake

Redrawn graphics, 3D backgrounds, and a chance to "jump in the money bin."

Capcom's first ever PAX East panel had been droning on for 50 minutes with unexciting announcements like new Mega Man merchandise, trailers for well-known games, and the reveal of America's favorite Street Fighter character (it was Ryu) before the announcement that sent the gathered crowd of hundreds into a sing-along frenzy:

Life is like a hurricane
Here in Duckburg…

Yes, Capcom is finally bringing back the classic NES-era DuckTales in an HD remake for modern consoles, with Disney's blessing. The conversion is being handled by WayForward, best known at the moment for its Double Dragon Neon and the Nintendo DS Adventure Time game. All the graphics are being redrawn in HD, with 3D backgrounds drawn by one of the original DuckTales cartoon artists. Overall, the trailer evoked a visual feel similar to that of the Paper Mario games. The classic soundtrack is being remastered, too, by WayForward's Jay Kaufman.

The game is based heavily on the NES classic—about 70 percent of the content will be exactly the same, while 30 percent will be slightly re-tuned, a producer said. The similarities could actually be considered a feature rather than a problem, though, considering that the original game was a bona fide masterpiece created by some of Capcom's best talent. There will be a few new side features, too, such as a tutorial stage, cutscene introductions for characters, a museum, and a section that lets you do the "classic jump into the money bin," which is apparently very popular in play testing.

With dozens of less-deserving games getting the HD remake treatment over recent years, it's way past time that Capcom properly introduced this original and well-remembered classic to a new generation. Hopefully the summer release on Xbox Live, PSN, and Wii U will lead to an actual new adventure with the classic DuckTales gameplay in the near future.

Eh while I can appreciate the quality of the redone artwork for the characters the reliance on 3d backgrounds just doesn't do it for me. They needed to take a cue from the new Rayman sidescrollers to see how you can have high quality handdrawn backgrounds that still have depth. Of course they also ruined Street Fighter for me with the new games so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

WayForward nailed the Boy and His Blob remake for Wii, I'm hopeful. Maybe they can even find some way to get around all the red tape keeping the original out of the VC to generate more hype for this game. A guy can dream.

I hope this works out well. I'm not sure how I feel about the 3D backgrounds but if they can make it fun, and there is new material I plan on getting this. If someone really wants it to be like the original, fire up an emulator and it will be exactly like the original. I'm hoping they can expand on it a little bit, and the game play is just as solid. As others have also stated, Rescue Rangers was fun, especially being able to play with a friend at the same time. Both of these were classics. Maybe if this does well enough they will look at Rescue Rangers next.

Kyle Orland / Kyle is the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica, specializing in video game hardware and software. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He is based in the Washington, DC area.